Podcast · Music

Add to Playlist

by BBC Radio 4 · English · Music

Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe take us on a musical journey of discovery, exploring the web of connections between tracks across the breadth of all musical styles, from pop, rock, reggae and hip-hop to classical, jazz, folk and country.

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 43 min
Latest: 18 Sep 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

18 Sep 2026 · 43 min

Rick Wakeman and Amanda Whiting close out the series

Rick Wakeman - keyboard player and former member of the rock group Yes - and Welsh jazz harpist and composer Amanda Whiting, join Jeffrey and Anna as they add the final five tracks to the playlist for the current series. Kicking off with a groundbreaking French hit from 2019 and rounding off with a world-famous singalong song with an equally famous accompanying dance move, the playlist also visits Finland, Canada and a celebrated British one-hit wonder. Add to Playlist returns for a new series on 6 November Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

11 Sep 2026 · 43 min
Emma Rawicz and Arsha Kaviani celebrate exceptional teenage talent
Saxophonist and composer Emma Rawicz and pianist and composer Arsha Kaviani are the studio guests of Jeffrey and Anna as they add five more tracks, taking them from a politically satirical song by George Michael to a classic pop track from the American girl group TLC via two mysterious buildings conjured up by The Animals and Modest Mussorgsky. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Shoot the Dog by George Michael Lush Life by John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, written by Billy Strayhorn House of the…
4 Sep 2026 · 43 min
Anne Dudley and Jon Boden at the Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield
Oscar-winning composer Anne Dudley and musician, arranger and former lead singer with the folk group Bellowhead, Jon Boden, are Jeffrey and Anna's guests in front of a live audience at the Crossed Wires podcast festival in Sheffield. Kicking off with a huge Sheffield banger from 1982, the five-track journey takes them to Bob Marley, Eliza Carthy and finishing up with a legless cockroach! Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: The Look of Love by ABC Stir It Up by Bob Marley Little Gypsy Girl by…
28 Aug 2026 · 43 min
RuthAnne and Gavin Higgins get in the Flow
RuthAnne - songwriter Ruth-Anne Cunningham - and composer Gavin Higgins join Jeffrey and Anna as they create a standalone five-track playlist for this one-off episode. Starting with a massive international hit by a leading Irish singer, they head to Fugees, Gershwin and some fine young cannibals. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Orinoco Flow by Enya Ready or Not by Fugees I Loves You, Porgy by George & Ira Gershwin, sung by Nina Simone She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals Opposite…
21 Aug 2026 · 43 min
Nadine Shah, David Arnold and Charlotte Harding celebrate the BBC Proms
To mark this year's BBC Proms, Jeffrey and Anna are joined by three music specialists to create a playlist of five Proms-themed tracks. Celebrated James Bond film composer David Arnold, Mercury-Prize-nominated, South Tyneside-born, singer and songwriter Nadine Shah, and composer and saxophonist Charlotte Harding check out this year's festival, currently just past its halfway point, and look into the archive to choose their five tracks. Every concert in this year's BBC Proms is - or will be - available via BBC Sounds, including Nadine Shah's performance in Gateshead and Charlotte Harding's…
14 Aug 2026 · 43 min
A celebration of Black British music live at V&A East, with Nolay, Soweto Kinch and Keelan Carew
The V&A East Museum in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London opened in April with its inaugural exhibition The Music Is Black: A British Story, focusing on 125 years of Black music-making in Britain. Spanning four continents, it is a story of excellence, struggle, resilience and joy. To celebrate the exhibition, in a collaboration between the V&A and the BBC, Add to Playlist comes from the museum in front of a live audience with a host of significant figures on the Black British music scene. Jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch, leading UK grime artist NoLay (accompanied by fellow grime…
26 Jun 2026 · 43 min
Tom Seals and Debbie Wiseman slap that bass
Wolf Hall composer Debbie Wiseman and boogie-woogie pianist and singer Tom Seals are Jeffrey and Anna's final guests of the current series as they add the final five tracks, taking them from a Prince classic via the First Lady of Song to Bob Geldof's ticking clock and a Punjabi bhangra megahit. Add to Playlist will be back on air on 14 August. For details of the Crossed Wires podcast festival in Sheffield and for free tickets for the recording of Add to Playlist and other Radio 4 shows, visit https://crossedwires.live/fringe Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by…
19 Jun 2026 · 43 min
Claire Wickes and Ashley Henry celebrate chocolate and music
Flautist Claire Wickes and jazz pianist Ashley Henry join Jeffrey and Anna as they add the next five tracks, exploring the association between music and chocolate, and digging into the Harlem Renaissance with the poet Langston Hughes and Cuban Negrismo, before marking the official longest partnership in pop. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: 5-4-3-2-1 by Manfred Mann Dance of the Mirlitons from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes Boda Negra by María Teresa Vera…
12 Jun 2026 · 43 min
Guy Pratt and Amy Harman and the art of hocketing
Bass guitarist, composer and songwriter Guy Pratt and bassoonist Amy Harman are Jeffrey and Anna's studio guests as they add five more tracks. Starting with an early ska classic, they explore the art of 'hocketing' before heading to the beach with Einstein. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Miss Jamaica by Jimmy Cliff Rock On by David Essex Finale of Symphony No 6 in B Minor by Tchaikovsky Hockets for Two Voices: 1 by Meara O’Reilly Knee Play 5 from Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass Other…
5 Jun 2026 · 43 min
Lucy Parham and Nicky Spence explore some familiar Radio 4 theme tunes
Classical pianist Lucy Parham and operatic tenor Nicky Spence are Jeffrey and Anna's studio guests as they compile another five-track playlist. Starting with a memorable scene from Werner Herzog's film Fitzcarraldo, they end up at the queen of the power ballad, stopping off to reveal the background to two very popular tunes regularly played on Radio 4. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Quartet from Rigoletto by Verdi La Flor de la Canela by Chabuca Granda The Minute Waltz by Chopin My Native…
29 May 2026 · 43 min
Fiona Bevan and Keelan Carew mess around
Multi-platinum songwriter and musician Fiona Bevan and pianist Keelan Carew are Jeffrey and Anna's studio guests as they add five more tracks, taking us from Ray Charles letting loose for the first time, to a famous riverboat steamer on the Mississippi via Mozart and Nick Drake. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Mess Around by Ray Charles Kyrie from the Mass in C Minor by Mozart From the Morning by Nick Drake Fields of Gold by Eva Cassidy Proud Mary by Ike & Tina Turner Other music in this…
22 May 2026 · 43 min
Ben Gernon and Heidi Fardell launch a new series
Conductor Ben Gernon and baroque recorder player Heidi Fardell open the new series alongside Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add the first five tracks, taking us from a steamy New York summer to a celebrated Bach composition that violinist Joshua Bell has described as 'not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history'. Throw in Gershwin, Louis XIV and a very serious musical accident, and you've got a cornucopia of an opening episode. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and…
27 Mar 2026 · 43 min
Neil Brand and Matilda Lloyd celebrate the mambo
Pianist and silent film music specialist Neil Brand and trumpeter Matilda Lloyd join Jeffrey and Anna as they add five tracks to the playlist, in the last of the current series. From a celebrated American singer who died aged 27 we head to the most successful artist in the history of the Grammys, via a famous sacred Italian work, appropriate as Good Friday approaches. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Mercedes Benz by Janis Joplin Stabat Mater Dolorosa by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Mambo…
20 Mar 2026 · 43 min
Anne Dudley and Guy Barker are Thunderstruck
Trumpeter and bandleader Guy Barker and composer and arranger Anne Dudley join Jeffrey and Anna as they add five more tracks, taking us from a high-octane heavy-metal classic to Run-D.M.C. via signature stage moves and dreamy Ella. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Thunderstruck by AC/DC I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown Hommage à Rameau by Claude Debussy My Reverie by Ella Fitzgerald Peter Piper by Run-D.M.C. Other music in this episode: Love's Theme by The Love Unlimited Orchestra…
13 Mar 2026 · 43 min
Nicholas McCarthy and Amy Harman watch the clock
Bassoonist Amy Harman and concert pianist Nicholas McCarthy are the studio guests of Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add five more tracks. Kicking off with an internationally famous track written in Ostend in Belgium, they end up in a gravel pit via a ticking clock or two. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye Clocks by Coldplay The Clock (the 2nd mvt) from Symphony No 101 in D Major by Haydn Precipitato (the 3rd mvt) from Piano Sonata No 7 in B Flat Major by…
6 Mar 2026 · 43 min
Andrew Roachford and Carol Jarvis celebrate a former taxi driver
Trombonist Carol Jarvis and singer and songwriter Andrew Roachford join Jeffrey and Anna to add five more tracks to the playlist. Starting with a famous composer and former taxi driver, they head to some classic boogie-woogie, a female kora virtuoso, and hit the road again with one of country's finest. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Etudes: No 6 by Philip Glass Pyramid Song by Radiohead Hassle Attack by Ann Rabson Ballaké Sissoko by Sona Jobarteh On the Road Again (Live) by Willie Nelson…
27 Feb 2026 · 43 min
Debbie Wiseman and Jay Capperauld head to Colombia
Wolf Hall composer Debbie Wiseman and Scottish classical composer Jay Capperauld are Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe's studio guests as they add five more tracks. Starting with a hip-shake in Colombia, they head to South Africa, a state secondary school in London, the firebombing of Dresden, and finally to Honolulu for a Canadian lament. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira Zithande by Freshlyground Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2, by Pink Floyd String Quartet No 8,…
20 Feb 2026 · 43 min
Errollyn Wallen and Richard Stilgoe head to Nashville
Composer Errollyn Wallen, Master of the King's Music, and lyricist and musician Richard Stilgoe, join Jeffrey and Anna as they add five more tracks to the playlist, taking us from the Nashville Sound to Dublin rock via New Zealand. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Do I Ever Cross Your Mind by Dolly Parton & Chet Atkins Tre sbirri, una carrozza...Te Deum by Giacomo Puccini Sober by Lorde Memory by Elaine Paige With Love by Thin Lizzy Other music in this episode: Gypsy Sahara by Taraf de…
13 Feb 2026 · 43 min
Rick Wakeman and Aoife Ní Bhriain launch the new series
Irish classical and folk violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain and keyboard player Rick Wakeman are Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe's first guests as they begin a brand new series. Valentine's Day vibes are in the air so expect a bit of love as we embark on a new playlist, taking us from a sweet disco classic to a precocious pop/country megastar via Thor and Mozart. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: [03'55] Love is in the Air by John Paul Young [11'07] Love’s Dream by Rick Wakeman ft Roger Daltrey…
19 Dec 2025 · 43 min
Joe Stilgoe and Heidi Fardell celebrate Yuletide Classics
Anna and Jeffrey host an Add to Playlist Yuletide special. They are joined by jazz musician and songwriter Joe Stilgoe and baroque recorder player Heidi Fardell to pick apart five cracking festive tracks, from Sleigh Ride to the Carol of the Bells. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Sleigh Ride by Ella Fitzgerald Sinfonia from The Christmas Oratorio by J S Bach Carol of the Bells by The Sixteen, written by Mykola Leontovych and Peter Wilhousky Step into Christmas by Elton John and Bernie…
12 Dec 2025 · 43 min
Katy Richardson and Ben Gernon head to Mongolia
Conductor Ben Gernon and Music Director Katy Richardson join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add another five tracks, taking us from the Mongolian landscape to a sunrise in Lesbos, a famous TV theme, and some seriously wronged wives. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Wolf Totem by The HU Daybreak (Lever du jour) by Maurice Ravel Stranger Things Theme by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein Madeline by Lily Allen Ex-Wives from SIX: The Musical Other music in this episode: Music for 18…
5 Dec 2025 · 43 min
Emma Rawicz and Keelan Carew enjoy the vibes
Pianist Keelan Carew and saxophonist Emma Rawicz join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add five more tracks, taking us from an unforgettable Nat King Cole classic to a sunken cathedral, a famous submarine, and the Austrian Alps. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Unforgettable by Natalie Cole & Nat King Cole Señor Mouse by Gary Burton and Chick Corea La Cathédrale Engloutie by Debussy Stingray by Barry Gray The Lonely Goatherd by Julie Andrews Other music in this episode Particles of…
28 Nov 2025 · 43 min
Claire Wickes and Vince Pope and plenty of strings
Flautist and composer Claire Wickes and composer Vince Pope join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe to add five more tracks, taking us from some traditional Irish violins to San Francisco's Kronos Quartet, stopping along the way for some musical Greek mythology. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Runaway by The Corrs La flûte de Pan by Claude Debussy Cassandra by Florence and the Machine Stay With Me by Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet Ya Taali’een el-Jabal by Kronos Quartet ft Rim Banna Other…
21 Nov 2025 · 43 min
Amy Harman and Peter Long cue the bass
Bassoonist Amy Harman and bandleader, jazz man and multi-instrumentalist Peter Long join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks, a journey which starts with a virtual cartoon band and ends up in Colombia, stopping off at Gotham City, Knebworth and the New York jazz scene in 1946. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz Main Title Theme from Batman by Danny Elfman Another One Bites the Dust (live) by Queen One Bass Hit by Dizzy Gillespie Posee un Corazón by…
14 Nov 2025 · 43 min
Neil Brand and Imogen Whitehead launch a new series
Pianist and silent film music specialist Neil Brand and trumpeter Imogen Whitehead join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe to add the first five tracks of the new series, taking us from an energetic bee to Woodstock via The Netherlands and Bristol. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Hocus Pocus by Focus Teardrop by Massive Attack Glory to God in the Highest by George Frideric Handel Animal Crackers by Melanie Other music in this episode On my…
19 Sep 2025 · 43 min
Anne Dudley and Joe Stilgoe round off the series
Musician and songwriter Joe Stilgoe and Oscar-winning composer and arranger Anne Dudley join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe to add the final five tracks of the series, taking us from calypso to K-pop via Beethoven and Brubeck. Add to Playlist returns on 14 November. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Calypso Queen by Calypso Rose Concrete and Clay by Unit 4 + 2 Piano Concerto in G Major: III (Rondo) by Beethoven Blue Rondo à la Turk by Dave Brubeck Gangnam Style by Psy Other music in this…
12 Sep 2025 · 43 min
Catrin Finch and Rhodri Marsden on absence and resilience
Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and musician and composer Rhodri Marsden join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add five more tracks, with unexpected and surprising connections. The eclectic music choices range from an Americana classic knocked off in just 30 mins to the winner of this year's Ivor Novello Award for Best Album, via a reworking of a Bach organ sonata for piano. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Louie Louie by The Kingsmen I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor Organ Sonata No.4 movt…
5 Sep 2025 · 43 min
Callum Au and Natalie Duncan and the beauty of brass
Trombonist, arranger and big band leader Callum Au, and composer, pianist and singer Natalie Duncan, are today's studio guests as they look for unexpected links that connect five disparate tracks. With Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye, they head from an early Adele classic to a reinterpretation of a Roberta Flack hit via a 15-minute reworking by Duke Ellington of one of his most celebrated works. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Chasing Pavements by Adele Mood Indigo by Duke Ellington Tuba…
29 Aug 2025 · 43 min
Jess Gillam and Keelan Carew with music fit for a king
Saxophonist and Radio 3 broadcaster Jess Gillam and pianist Keelan Carew are Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe's studio guests as they add the next five tracks, taking us from an east London housing estate to Heaven, via a certain celebrated Norwegian hall of a Mountain King. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Ill Manors by Plan B The Coronation scene from Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky King by Years & Years In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg Heaven by Emeli Sandé Other music…
22 Aug 2025 · 43 min
Alison Balsom and Linton Stephens celebrate the BBC Proms
With three weeks remaining of this year's BBC Proms, Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe present a Proms-themed edition. Studio guests are the celebrated trumpeter Alison Balsom, who'll be performing in this year’s Last Night of the Proms, and bassoonist, Radio 3 and Proms presenter Linton Stephens. Expect music from the Proms and beyond as we head from a live, scaled-back Springsteen anthem to the Outer Hebrides, via Mendelssohn, Shostakovich and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's…

About Add to Playlist

Add to Playlist is a English music podcast from BBC Radio 4. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: BBC Radio 4
Language: English
Category: Music
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 43 min
Latest episode: 18 Sep 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1588376684
Rights: (C) BBC 2026

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